essays | opinions | musings

It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

New Yorkers love their neighborhoods. And while I proudly broadcast my suburban Detroit roots, I love Astoria.

A Greek restaurant in Astoria (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’ve built a community around my life in New York. I have my local taverna (Zenon – the best Greek food you’ll ever have . . . ever), my laundromat (Geno’s! Geno and his cousin Ronald take care of my clothes on a weekly basis for $0.65/pound), my coffee shop (Brooklyn Bagel on 30th Ave. – amazing iced coffee and stellar mini whole wheat everything bagels), and of course, my local movie theater (United Artists Kaufman Astoria). Astoria, like many other ‘hoods outside of Manhattan, has the amazing ability to feel as much like a city as it needs to, while still playing the part of a quieter, more suburban locale.

I’m dedicating my summer to getting to know Astoria even better, by perusing the green market, hanging at the beer gardens, and sampling skordalia from taverna to taverna.

If you’ve never stepped foot beyond Manhattan, I highly suggest taking the N/R/Q over the East River and into Astoria.